Slowly Breaking
by TheBandGeek99
Summary: Lanie Carter comes from a broken family. Our well-known Greasers are the only people who care for her. While she develops feelings for both Soda and Dally, her best friends Ponyboy and Johnny go missing, and she finds out that her family has secrets. As she deals with her love life, searches for her family's secrets AND her friends, will she break in the process?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay. This new story isn't gonna stand in the way of "Crash n' Burn", its just an idea that I had at the time. I didn't want to forget it. But, completely new story, hopefully better. Please R n' R if you could. Thanks! :)**  
**Disclaimer: S.E. Hinton owns the Outsiders. Not me. But I would sell my soul if I could own Dally and Steve. ;)**

My footprints left small indents in the snow. I could see my breath in the cold air. It was quiet outside. _Where am I going?_ I kept asking myself. The truth was, I didn't know. I just needed to get out of my house. Screams and yells were something I was used to, being in Tulsa, but I was terrified at the sound of it in my house. So I got a bag full of clothes and left.  
"Lanie? Is that you?" a voice in the dark asked. I whirled around to see the owner of the voice.  
"Oh, hi Two-Bit. What are you doin round here?"  
"Just walked Kathy home. Ain't she your neighbor or somethin'?"  
"Ain't ain't a word. But yes, she is. I forgot y'all were together again."  
"Haha, very funny. Well, wanna come to the Curtis place with me? "  
I would've kept walking if I hadn't seen him. I was ready to run away.  
"Aw, what the heck. It's better than my place." We started walking toward the Curtis's house.  
"Ain't ya cold? You don't got a jacket or anything."  
"I'm fine. The cold distracts me."  
"Well, do ya want mine? A lady is lady, and I'm a gentleman." He offered me his Mickey Mouse jacket.  
"Two-Bit Mathews, a gentleman? You're kidding. But yes, I'll take it. Thank you, my good sir." I curtsied to him with a smile. Two-Bit could make anyone smile no matter their mood.

We walked into the Curtis place. A game of poker went on between the younger Curtis boys and Steve Randle. Darry was in the kitchen making something that smelled delicious, probably chocolate cake. Two-Bit joined Dally and Johnny on the couch and watched the poker game.  
"WHY YOU GOTTA CHEAT, SODA?" Steve yelled. He threw down his cards while Sodapop smirked and raked in all of the coins.  
"WHY YOU GOTTA YELL, STEVIE?" Dally jokingly yelled at him. The gang laughed. I just stood by the door, watching all of this. It was amusing, but I wish my family was like this. My brother was locked in his room all day, and when he wasn't he was yelling at me or trying to hit me. My sister was never in my house. My guess would be that she was either at Bucks or somewhere with drugs and booze. My parents just didn't care. They stopped caring years ago, and I don't know why. After that, things went downhill. They yelled and fought everyday. Me, I was the only Carter who didn't change into something horrible. I just took the beatings and coped with them.

"You okay Lanie? Why are you crying?"" some voice said. It snapped me out of my thoughts. I was crying? I felt my face, and sure enough, it was wet. My cheeks flushed red.  
"I'm fine. Just had a rough day."  
"Well, do ya wanna join us?" Soda asked.  
"Sure," I moved to sit with them. Hopefully a game of poker would cheer me up.

XXX

Even though I promised myself I wouldn't return to my house, I did. Dad's car was gone, so I was safe for now. I climbed up the steps to my house and walked through the door.  
"Delanie, honey, is that you?" "Yeah, mom. It's me." I ran up the stairs to my room before being interrogated. As soon as I got there, I flopped myself on my bed. I took out the one picture of my family I owned.

It's sad. The photo just radiated a sense of fakeness. My parents' smiles weren't even real. They didn't seem to enjoy being with us anymore. Heck, my brother and sister weren't even looking at the camera. They wanted to be somewhere else, not with us. And me? I was smiling. I was so oblivious to the fact that my family was falling apart, that I didn't realize that I was the only one truly happy to be there. What's even sadder is that this photo was taken when I was 9.

6 years. 6 years ago my family started breaking down. I don't even know why. It like, the "Being a Family" switch blew out.  
The fights and arguments started, bruises formed, people changed, life got bad. But then, I met the only people who would genuinely be nice to me and accept me into their family. Those were the Curtises, the Mathews, Steve Randle, Johnny Cade, and Dallas Winston. These guys were the only family I had. And, boy, was I grateful for them.

A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts. I ignored it until the door opened. When I saw who it was, I immediately got scared.  
"What the hell? Why aren't ya opening yer door?" My brother, Brock, was big and brute. He wasn't afraid to hit anyone, and he really liked to hit me. Once you got him mad, well, you won't want to get him mad again.  
"Where were you last night, huh?"  
"None of your damn business, Brock. Leave me alone." I was always the one with the snappy mouth. Brock was getting angry, but frankly, I didn't care.  
"I'mma ask you one more time. Where the hell were you last night? It better have not been with them damn Curtises. Damn pansies."

I didn't answer. I just rolled over and pretended to sleep. A minute later, he grabbed me by my shirt and pulled me face to face with him. I looked into his angry blue eyes. He slapped me, hard, across the face.  
"When I ask you a question, you better answer, you hear?" He threw me down on the floor and left my room. I landed on my back.  
I got up, crying, and looked in my mirror. My face already had a nasty red mark on it, and my back was killing me.

I got my backpack again, grabbed my secret stash of cash, and climbed out my window. Once again, I didn't know where I was going.

**A/N: Sorry for the short chap! It's only a kinda introductory chappie, so please don't be mad. Please review if you could! Thanks, lovelies.**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own. :(

I was in a rage as I walked away from my house. I knew I'd never do anything about it, I really couldn't - It'd hurt me more than them, but wishful thinking always helped me calm down. I've never understood the desire to hit, to cause pain. I hated that with a passion. It just seems as if people actually think its okay.

In the middle of my furious thinking, it started to snow._ Great, I don't know where I am and I'm covered in snow._ I looked at my surroundings to see if there was anyplace I knew. It turned out that I was only a few houses down from my own._ Jesus, I'm slow._ I started to run instead of walk. After about 15 minutes of my jog/walk, I ended up at the DX.

With my burning lungs and a red nose, I walked in to see Soda surrounded by girls and Steve snoozing on the counter.  
The bell on the door rang, alerting everyone to my presence. While Steve and Soda looked at me, a few girls scowled at me. I blushed and looked away.

"Hi Lanie! What brings you here on this fine day?" His brown eyes twinkled with laughter, but changed as he took in how I looked. Steve looked angry.

"What's wrong? What happened to you?"

"I-I... Can I tell you later? I, uh, need a place to stay if that's alright with you..." I felt weak, and those pretty girls who were scowling at me didn't make me feel any better.

"Lanie, you know you can stay at my house. You're always welcome, ya know." He smiled, which made me feel a little better.

"We get off in about 30 minutes, if ya wanna wait with us." Steve chimed in.

"Sounds great." I tried my best to smile, but I was still cold and still in pain.

The girls looked shocked, as if they were surprised that someone like me was friends with Soda and Steve. I wouldn't doubt it, I was never especially appealing to the eye like most girls around here. Besides my long, amber hair and hazel eyes, I was nothing special. I guess I'm just... normal? I'm not hideous, but I'm not drop-dead gorgeous like Sylvia. Or Sandy. Or Evie. Whatever, I'm just not model material like half of the female greaser population. It annoys me to no end how these girls can attract a guy like Two-Bit to beer.

I dropped my backpack next to the counter Steve was once again snoozing on and went to the restroom. I looked at my reflection. Still bruised, still red. I even looked... scared. Not a surprise, I really was. Once I got to the Curtis house, I'd look like my normal self._ I wonder if the DX has makeup._ I didn't want to go around with my face looking like a candycane. So I went to see if there was any makeup at all, and to my surprise, there was. I really had no clue about what to do with makeup, so I just bought one of everything.

"Hot date coming up, Lanie?" Soda smirked at me. The girls, still here, snickered.

"As if. She'd be lucky to get someone like Curly Shepherd." some snooty blonde chick said. I'm guessing she was the leader of the group. Her friends giggled at her insult, making me blush again and made Soda get angry.

"Hey, this girl you're makin' fun just so happens to be my lil sister. I love her to bits." He smiled and messed with my hair. She looked to him in disbelief, and Soda nodded. "And if ya feel the need to pick on her because you think you look better than her, then I'm afraid yer blind, darlin'."  
She and her friends were humiliated. They muttered their apologies and left.

"Well, it's quittin' time. Let's go." Steve yawned.

"Thanks, Pepsi-Cola. I owe you one." I grinned at him.

"Don't sweat it, Lanie." He grinned right back. My stomach felt... tingly. I felt warm when he grinned at me. As we started walked to Soda's house, I kept that feeling the entire way.

XXX

We arrived at the Curtis House just as chaos ensued. Apparently, Two-Bit and Dally were drinking beer on the couch watching Mickey Mouse, and were getting into a heated argument over Minnie. Then things were thrown and well, broken. They were being yelled at by Darry as we walked in.

"That doesn't explain the fact as to WHY THE WINDOW IS BROKEN." He took a deep breath. " Is Minnie the Mouse really that important to you guys? I'd really like to know." Darry was mighty scary when he was mad. Two-Bit and Dally must've thought so too.

"I'm awful sorry 'bout your window Darry. It won't happen again." Two-Bit slurred.

"Yeah, what he said." Dally agreed.

"Y'all better clean it up. I mean it. If I get cut on my foot, I know who to kill first." Darry sent death glares to both of them.

I set my bag down and settled next to Johnny, who was laughing at the entire situation. Soda and Steve started to wrestle on the floor.

"Hey, knock it off! I just got done yelling about the broken glass on the floor!" Darry sighed and went into the kitchen.

I went into the bathroom to experiment with my new makeup._ Now, what goes on first? Mascara? Wait, I'm only covering up my bruise, not giving myself a makeover._ I got the powder out and read the directions. After that, I softly blotted the mark on my face with the powder. The end result was nothing like I'd thought it'd be. Half of my face was darker than the other half. I looked like I fell asleep while tanning my face. It was horrible! I just decided to put powder on my entire face.

"Lanie, others need the bathroom too, ya' know." A voice outside the door said.

"Out in a minute!" I examined my face to make sure the mark wasn't showing. Once I was somewhat comfortable with my face, I left the bathroom.

I felt great, now that I'd covered up my face. Hopefully Soda and Steve forgot about it. No one knew about my home life, and I wanted it to stay that way.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has followed and reviewed this story! You've inspired me to write even more. Thank you sooooo much! :) Also, this takes place about a week later.  
Disclaimer: Still don't own. *sigh*

I really should've known better. But I couldn't help it! I was running out of clean clothes, so I absolutely had to go home for a while. As soon as I got there though, I knew I had made a mistake by returning.

*Flashback, a few hours ago*  
Dally, Soda, and Steve were waiting for me outside my house. I had gone through the front door, just to make it seem like I wasn't afraid of my own house. To my surprise, my sister was there. That meant something was up. My heart beat just a little quicker.

"Sister dear, it's been so long! I've missed you so!" She walked up to me and gave me a hug. For once, she didn't smell like booze and alcohol.

"Shut up, Amanda. She was probably off, getting pregnant and drunk or somethin'." Brock walked downstairs. He never did have a great opinion of me, and I never knew why. "Where the fuck were you, huh? Dad n' Ma are gonna give it you sooner or later." He glared at me.

"Like I said before, it's none of your business. And, Ma n' Dad would never belt me. They aren't home enough and would be too drunk to do that."

"Who the hell do you think you are? Do you even know who you are?" He stepped towards me, tension in every inch of his being.

"Brock, save it for another time." Amanda tried to intervene. What?

"No. The fuck is that sposed to mean? Of course I know who I am." I spat. Did I?

"Are you sure?" He challenged. Something was definitely up.

"Brock, leave it alone." Once again, Amanda interrupted.

"Yeah Brock, fuck off." I knew once those words left my mouth, I was in for it. His eyes blazed with anger. My heartbeat quickened even more.

Once I saw that, I screamed and ran, with him on my trail. I tried running up the stairs, but he pulled my leg and I fell face forward. I faintly heard Amanda screaming. My vision got blurry, but I kicked him in the face and finished running up the staircase. I made it to my room, so I rushed to throw clothes into my bag. He caught up to me in the midst of me packing, and threw me to the floor. Even though I sobbed and pleaded for him to stop, he hit me. He just kept hitting and hitting me. I grabbed a book from nearby and hit him and the face. Then, I ran down the stairs with my half-full bag.

I barely made it out the door when I saw him right behind me. I screamed and kept running toward the guys, but he caught up to me and grabbed me. He then pushed me to the ground. I started to sob even harder, I was so afraid. He was about to strike me again when he realized the guys were right there, poised to fight.

"You're real fucking lucky, Delanie. Better hope they're here next time, too." He let me go. I ran to the guys. Brock left and went into the house.

I sank to the ground, still sobbing. I was used to him punching and slapping me, but he never beat me like he did today. I was shaken, and still scared. I forgot the guys were there, because when Soda put his hand on my shoulder, I flinched.

"Christ, Lanie. You okay?" He looked concerned, just like Dally and Steve.

I never answered, I didn't even talk until we got to their house. I just cried.  
*End flashback*

I knew I looked horrible. I felt horrible. My face had multiple red marks now, but my body held the actual bruises. My secret came out when we'd got to the Curtis house. I told them about how my parents and brother beat me all the time, and how it had started before I'd met the gang. They were enraged, but were even more mad that I hadn't told them. Especially Dally. He left after hearing the news. Now on top of being sore, I now felt guilty for keeping this a secret.

"Why didn't you tell anyone, Lanie? You know we would've helped you." Soda looked at me with sad eyes. I felt a hot flash of anger. They don't know how hard it is to tell something like that. Betraying your loved ones, that could get you hurt even more.

"Well, if you were in my shoes, would you have told anyone?" I snapped. I saw Soda shrink back, and I immediately felt bad again.

"I'm sorry, Soda. It's just... I would've been beat to death if I told anyone." I went and gave him an apologetic hug. "The beatings were worse back then. They aren't as bad anymore. I'm fine." I'm not fine. I haven't been fine for what seems like forever. But I have to be strong, strong for the gang. They matter more.

"Lanie..." He gave me a questioning look.

"You know what? I think I'm gonna go get some fresh air." I stepped outside to the porch.

XXX

Dally roamed the streets, kicking rocks and stray pieces of trash out of his way. His mind was on one thing, and that was Lanie. When she'd told them that she's been getting beat for the past 7 years, something inside him snapped. He felt an unfamiliar tightening in his chest. He'd wanted to hurt her brother earlier, but now he wanted to kill him. He wanted to kill him and her parents. And that, he'd never wanted to protect and avenge anyone like he did Lanie. Not even Sylvia. And the idea was frightening to him.

He'd always felt protective over Lanie and Johnny. More Lanie than Johnny, because he could fight. But with Lanie, he wasn't sure how much was protectiveness and how much was something else. _What? Who am I, the King of Love? Hell, I don't know nothing about love._

"Dally?" He looked up, and saw that he'd somehow made it back to the Curtis house. Lanie was on the porch, looking at him. He looked at her red face and bruised arms, and felt that tightening again.

"You okay? Where were you?" She asked.

"Jus' walkin' around. Are _you_ okay?"

"I'm fine. Still sore, but I'm fine." She looked at the ground, and unknown emotion in her eyes. He sat down next to her.

"You want me to whoop the shit outta your brother?" He was sincerely asking that. He just wanted to make sure she never got hurt again.

"No. It's okay. That'd be an awful thing to do." She sounded distant.

"_No? _Lanie, your own brother just_ beat you_, he's been for 7 years, and you think him getting a taste of his own shit _is awful_?"

"I got myself into this, Dally. It was my fault-"

"The hell it was your fault! No man, let alone _your own brother_, should_ ever_ lay a hand on you, even it was your fault." He was enraged.

"Dally, just let it go. I'm fine now." She went into the house.

Dally started walking towards Lanie's house, with renewed anger. He was out for revenge, and no one was gonna stop him.


	4. Chapter 4

**_A/N: Thanks for the reviews and the followers I've gotten! It's made me feel great! Please enjoy! :)_**

**Disclaimer: Nope. Still don't own the Outsiders.**

I walked into the house, flustered. I just couldn't understand why Dally was so upset._ He acts as if he's never seen anyone else get beat_. The guys rushed to a seat, acting as if they hadn't been eavesdropping.

"I know y'all were listening. I saw Two-Bit's face."

"Dammit. Oh well." Two-Bit went to get another beer.

"Lanie, you know he's only looking out for you. You're basically our sister. We know you'd do the same." Darry was extremely convincing, but that didn't help me feel any better.

"He's acting as if I'm a fragile little girl! Attacking my brother won't do anything but make things worse, Darry!"

"Lanie, your folks and your brother _beat_ you. What more can they do to you? You've got our protection, you shouldn't be worrying at all. Dally's just being himself."

"Yeah Lanie, that's just how he is. You should know by now that he loves to fight. Hell, we all do. But don't go stoppin' him or anyone else from fighting. He's fightin' for _you_. We'd all be there, but we know that Dally's gonna beat the shit out of your brother, so we don't needa be there." Steve chimed in.

"Steve's right, Lanie. Just calm down and wait for him to come back." Soda walked to me and pulled me into a hug. "Everything's gonna be just fine."

I still didn't feel convinced, but I was too tired and too sore to argue back.  
"I'm gonna get some rest. See y'all later." I went into the room I was staying in, and fell right asleep.

* * *

Dally trudged through the falling snow, trying to remember how to get to Lanie's house. The snow and his frustration angered him even more. He was ready to explode, and fighting Brock would be a great way to vent his anger. But, he had to figure out how to get there first. And he couldn't remember at all.

Lanie was part of the reason that he couldn't remember. All of his attention was on her when they were in the car.

XXX

_"Christ, Lanie. You okay?" Soda had said. Lanie was on the ground, crying. I'd never seen her cry before. It was unnerving. Usually, she was tough and could hold her own in a fight, but she just couldn't when she fought with Brock. The way she looked when he was about to hit her again, it haunted him. Lanie never showed her fear, but the fear in her eyes was raw and _real. _  
_

_The guys helped her into the back of Steve's car. Lanie just laid there, not responding to anyone._

_"I'll sit with Lanie." Soda had said. He moved to go sit._

_"Naw, it's good. I'll sit with her." I countered. _

_"No, it's okay, Dally. I'm good sitting in the back. Wouldn't want to take your normal seat." Soda said with a bite in his voice. _

_"The fuck? I don't have a 'normal seat'. I'm fine sitting in the back." I told him with the same amount of bite._

_"What the hell is your problem, Dally?"_

_"My problem? I ain't got a fucking problem. I'm sitting in the back and that's it."_

_ Steve looked at us weirdly. I wanted to slap the look off his face. I got in the back after that, putting Lanie's head in my lap. _

_"Dally?" Lanie sounded strangled, but I think that was because she was still crying._

_"Yeah?"_

_"Please don't fight over me. It's not worth it." She said that with a tone of finality. I didn't know what to say, so I just sat there. After that, I tried to get her to talk or even laugh, but she didn't do anything. And it killed me inside._

XXX

Dally somehow made it to the street Lanie's house was on. All he remembered was a house with a big front yard and a huge oak tree. _There it is. _He grabbed a stray glass bottle from the side of the road, and started towards the Carter house. Boy, was he ready.

He didn't bother knocking on the door, so he just barged in.

"CARTER!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. He ran through the house, looking through every room. At last, he found Brock, sprawled on his bed. Brock just laid there, looking at Dally.

"Well?" Brock asked. Dally rolled his eyes.

"What were you thinking, huh? Beating around on a hundred-pound girl, your own sister. Bet you feel real good, huh?"

"Dumb bitch got what she deserved." He said that as if it was okay to call his own sister a bitch. Dally stomped over and grabbed Brock by the shirt.

"She didn't deserve that at all, you sick bastard."Dally punched him square in the nose, sending a rush of blood . Brock then punched Dally in the stomach, making him double over. After that, a full-on fight ensued, arms flying everywhere. Dally sent punch after punch, always hitting their target. Brock was no match for him, getting beat easily. He fell to the ground, panting. Dally thought he had won. He started walking away, but Brock then attacked him from behind. Dally fell, and they started brawling on the ground. Brock finally had power in his punches. Dally pulled out the bottle, and hit Brock right on his head. Blood started oozing out, and Brock was out cold.

Dally looked at him. Brock had a black eye, a broken nose, tons of bruises, and a cut from the bottle. Still, Dally felt that he didn't get what he deserved. _He deserves to die. He fucking deserves to burn in hell for what he did._

Dally left the house and started towards the Curtis's, with his rage diminished but not gone.

* * *

"I hope Dal whooped his ass." Steve grumbled. They were playing cards again, trying to lighten the mood. Steve was losing, by a lot. "You know what? Let's play somethin' else."

"Tired of gettin' beat, Mr. Randle?" Soda smirked at him. They decided to play Gin Rummy. Soda started shuffling the deck, years of practice making him look like an expert. In the middle of his fancy shuffling, Dally burst through the door, causing the deck of cards to fly everywhere.

"Sick bastard won't lay another finger on her." He looked murderous still.

"Got him good, Dal?" Steve asked. He was upset about the whole situation, but he didn't understand why it so important. He and Johnny got beat too, and no one went and defended them. Steve felt guilty for thinking that, but he couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy.

"Got him real fucking good. He got me a few times, but he had no power at all." He smirked his usual smirk and lit a cigarette. Soda rolled his eyes.

"That's what you say about everyone, Dally."

"I know."

"So... What was with y'all earlier?" Steve asked.

"What do ya mean, Randle?" Dally knew exactly what he was talking about. _The argument._

"Well, y'all were arguing about sittin' with Lanie in the back."

"It was nothing, Stevie. Nothin' at all." Soda said. He had a faint blush, and that was enough to set Dally into teasing mode.

"Aww. Sodiepop gots a crush on Lanie." Dally teased. Soda blushed even more.

"Yeah, so? How could I not?" Soda countered. Dally felt weird inside.

"Ha. Yeah. Well, I gotta go. Gotta see Sylvia." Dally got up and left, leaving Soda and Steve with questioning looks on their faces.

Dally felt really weird. As soon as Soda admitted he liked Lanie, Dally felt that tightening again. He ran his mind through all of the things it could mean, but he only realized one thing.

He liked Lanie too, and that was gonna be a problem.


	5. Chapter 5

**_Disclaimer: The Outsiders are not in my possession, nor will they ever be._**

Soda and Steve watched as Dally left. He left almost immediately after Soda said he liked Lanie. Steve got suspicious.

"What was that?" Steve asked.

"What was what?"

"You know what. Dally ran like a horse when you said you liked Lanie."

"Shhhhh! Keep it down! Lanie's in there!"

"Oh, shut up. I ain't gonna say anything. What do you think that means?"

"How would I know? Maybe he really wanted to see Sylvia, Steve."

"Whatever." Steve still felt suspicious.

XXX

They decided to ditch the cards and find something else to do. They woke Lanie up, and got everyone to go to the movies with them. Sadly, when they got there, the theater was playing movies they'd all seen before. So they decided to go ice skating at the local rink. There was a discount since it was almost Christmas.

They all got their skates and ran off to skate.

"Whooo-hooo!" Lanie yelled. She twirled around and skated backwards, the only one in the gang who could do that.

"Shut up, Lanie. Quit showing off!" Two-Bit whined. He slipped and fell as soon as he said that. Lanie skated back to him and helped him up.

"Come with me. I'll help ya." They joined hands and skated around, Lanie doing her best to keep Two-Bit from falling. They went around the rink a few times before catching up to Soda and Steve.

"Howdy there, guys! Having fun?" Lanie asked them. Two-Bit slipped and almost brang Lanie down with him. Steve and Soda laughed.

"Yeah. It'd be better if this kid didn't keep falling." Soda pointed to Steve, who glared at him.

"I'm doin' just fine, thank you." Steve then fell. Lanie left Two-Bit and grabbed Steve's hand to help him up.

"C'mon. I'll help you too, Stevie." They left Soda and Two-Bit there. Soda must've looked jealous, because Two-Bit spoke up.

"What's wrong there, Popsicle? Ya know, it's winter an' all, and Popsicles are cold... and yer name has 'Pop' in it..." Two-Bit failed at a joke.

"What? Nothin's wrong, Two-Bit. Jus' wish that Lanie would skate with me." He said while eyeing her and Steve. She was laughing along with Steve, finally looking happy after the last week. He wasn't falling anymore, now they were skating pretty fast. _She taught him, alright._

"Aww, Sodiepop's gettin' jealous of Stevie over there." Two-Bit smirked. Soda's face turned a faint pink.

"I'm not!" He said.

"Ok, Soda. Whatever helps you sleep at night." Apparently Two-Bit learned some too, or he was acting. Because Soda swore he saw Two-Bit skate backwards to catch up to Johnny.

"Hey, Sodapop." Steve said.

"Hey, Stevie. Have fun with Lanie?"

"Hell yeah. She's helping Ponyboy and Darry now.'' They turned to see Lanie in between the two Curtises, who towered over her. She was pulling them, because they didn't know how to skate at all. She skated in front of them to show them how to move their feet, moving her own in a 'V' fashion. They mimicked that, and Darry fell straight to the ice. Steve and Soda laughed, Pony and Lanie did too. She helped him up, and continued pulling them along.

"Looks like Superman can't skate. Damn, Lanie's strong. Look how she's pullin' em'.'' Steve chuckled. They watched as Darry went off the rink to get hot chocolate. Ponyboy and Lanie kept skating, eventually getting to Johnny. Then they skated around, laughing the entire time. They all looked happy for once._ Only Lanie could smile and laugh after having a horrible day._

Soda and Steve kept skating, occasionally bumping into random people. Soda couldn't keep his mind off of Lanie. The next time he looked over there, he saw her and Dally skating together. Pony and Johnny probably joined Darry in getting hot choclate. Soda instantly got jealous. Dally said something and made Lanie laugh even more.

"Soda?" Steve said. He saw what Soda was looking at and figured out what was going on.

"Why won't she skate with _me_?" He whined. Steve rolled his eyes.

"Just wait, Pop. She'll come around." As if on cue, Lanie skated up to them. Dally was sitting at the table where Darry, Pony, Johnny, and Two-Bit sat.

"Hey guys." She said. She twirled around.

"Hi Lanie. Soda here wants to skate with ya." Steve said. Soda glared at him, while Steve stuck out his tongue.

"Oh, cool. That's exactly why I came over here." She smiled at Soda. He smiled back at her. Steve rolled his eyes at them.

"So may I have this skate, Miss Lanie?" He said.

"You may." They skated off together, leaving Steve. He watched as they skated. Soda and Lanie were holding hands, as she did with everyone else. He remembered how Soda lit up when Lanie came to skate with him. They were laughing as they skated, and laughed even harder as they fell. They skated together longer than she did with every one else. Seeing them like this, laughing together, only made him think that they fit together perfectly. Steve went to sit with the rest of the gang. They were talking and laughing too. But when he looked at Dally, he saw him looking at Soda and Lanie. He had the same jealous stare that Soda had when he was watching Dally and Lanie skate.

Steve only knew that things were gonna be complicated from then on.

* * *

The gang went home after Soda and Lanie were done skating. Apparently tonight was the night that everyone was staying at the Curtis house. Everyone went to their own house to get their things before returning to the Curtis's. Darry and Pony were ahead of Lanie and Soda, everyone else gone.

"Thanks, Sodiepop." She said. She looked at him and smiled. His heart melted just a little.

"No prob, Lanie." He smiled back at her. He was surprised when Lanie hugged him. He hugged her back twice as hard. When they pulled away, he slung an arm over her shoulder. They walked back to the house like that.

He knew that Darry went straight to bed, since he had work tomorrow. Ponyboy was curled up on the couch, half-asleep. He shot up as soon as Soda and Lanie walked in. When he saw how they walked in, he smirked.

"What?" Soda asked confusedly. Pony looked at their hands, which happened to be intertwined. Lanie blushed a deep red, and went to the room she was sleeping in. Soda sat next to Pony.

"Are you guys...Uh..."

"Not yet, I was gonna wait till New Years, though."

"Oh. I think y'all are nice together."

"Thanks, Pone. What about you? Gotta girl yet?" Soda smirked. Pony's ears turned red.

"No! Not yet, at least.."

"Oooh. Pony's gotta crush, everyone!"

"Really? On who?" Two-Bit asked as he walked in. He dropped down on the couch, with a beer in his hand.

"No one." Pony's face was now red. Soda was chuckling.

"Pony's gonna get himself a girl." Soda said.

"I knew he had in him somewhere. For a while, I thought he was afraid to come outta the closet." Two-Bit snickered and smirked at Pony. Pony threw a pillow at him.

"I'M NOT GAY!" He yelled at him. Two-Bit and Soda laughed.

XXX

After a while, everyone showed up. Everyone except Darry, who was sleeping, was in the living room playing truth-or-dare.

"Two-Bit... I dare you... to go one day without drinking beer. If you fail, you gotta... Cook and clean at our house for a week." Pony said.

"I'll cook and clean." Two-Bit said. Everyone looked at each other in surprise.

"I'm kinda scared for that." Soda said.

"Your turn, Two." Johnny said.

"Ahh. Ok. Lanie, truth or dare?" He was already smirking.

"Uhh, dare." Two-Bit smirked even more, if that was possible.

"Hmm. I dare you to... tell each of us one thing that you love about us. I better be the best." He said.

"Uh.. okay? Johnny, I love that you're so sweet and nice to me. Pony, I love that we can do anything together and make it fun. Steve, I love your sarcasm. Two-Bit, I love your jokes and your ugly sideburns. Dally, I love how you stand up for me all the time. I love Darry's muscles and how he takes care of everyone. Soda, I love that we always do things together and can talk about anything. Uh... What now?" Lanie said in a rush.

"Damn. So much girly shit. You really pay attention to that crap?" Steve asked.

"My sideburns are not ugly!" Two-Bit screeched.

Pony and Johnny just said 'Thank you'. Dally and Soda didn't say anything. Somehow, Steve knew that the things Lanie said about them had affected them in some way.

_Oh yes, things were bound to be real complicated._

**_A/N: Okay, so I won't be able to update for a while, because of family issues. I'll be without a computer for who-knows-how-long, so please don't get upset. I hope y'all understand. Please review, they're my motivation. :)_**


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